U.S. positions flawed

Miriam McCaslinEau Claire

December 11, 2012Letters to the Editor

Another anniversary of Pearl Harbor has come and gone with little attention paid by most Americans.

World War II is to me the last just war in which this country fought — and won.

We did not win it alone, as many Americans like to think, but united with other free nations to defeat a great evil.

Korea is not even considered a war, nor has it ever been declared over, only an armistice. We fought it to prevent Korea from becoming Communist.

Look at that country now, divided and part-ruled by a dictator.

We also fought in Vietnam to prevent a Communist takeover. I think the Vietnamese are far better off than the people in North Korea.

Vietnam now is one of our biggest trading partners and has a thriving economy. We also do not have the cost of maintaining a military presence in the country, like we do in South Korea.

The wars in the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., are certainly not victories for us or the people who live there. We continue to pour money down a rathole when we need the funds at home as our economy falters and our infrastructure crumbles.

The ridiculous embargo against Cuba, just 100 miles from Florida, has hurt the U.S. as much as it has hurt Cuba by denying us a trading partner that is so close — just because it’s a Communist nation, like China.